Britney Spears' concert is so big, this country just postponed an election

With a residency at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas, Britney Spears has enjoyed a career renaissance in recent years. But even the pop diva herself must've been surprised when she heard today's news: Her concerts are so big that one country will be changing the date of an election to accommodate the star.

Her upcoming July 3 concert in Israel is scheduled for the same day as a primary election there. Spears will be performing at Yarkon Park, a Tel Aviv amphitheater that has also played host to everyone from Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga to Madonna and the Rolling Stones. City officials feared that people would have trouble reaching polling stations that day with the influx of people going to Spears' concert. The election will instead take place the following day, with polls opening at 11 a.m. – late enough for people to sleep in after a night of rocking out to "Baby One More Time" and "Oops, I Did It Again."

Other stops on Spears' summer tour include France, the Philippines and Japan. There's no word yet if her visits in these countries will cause similar scheduling havoc.

This is the second time in recent months that a concert by a pop star has disrupted Israel's calendar. When Justin Bieber announced that he would be performing in Tel Aviv this spring, it caused some consternation among his most ardent fans. The concert is scheduled for May 3, the night before the national biology exam for Israel’s high school students. How could they possibly see Bieber and wake up the next day to take this test? Inspired by the singer's "Never Say Never" album, more than 500 students joined an online campaign to get the date of the test moved.

But it appears Bieber doesn't hold the same sway as Britney. Israel's Education Ministry opted not to change the date of the exam, and instead offered this response: The test is scheduled for 2:30 in the afternoon, which should provide the beleaguered Beliebers plenty of time to recuperate from the concert.

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Benyamin Cohen
writes about everything from science to entertainment – and sometimes about dating apps for dogs.